Behind the Lens with Andrew Swartz

Behind the Lens with Andrew Schwartz

Philly-based photographer Andrew Schwartz has an ineffable quality that makes it seem like he belongs exactly where he is at any given moment. For a photographer, that talent results in access to some of the best artists out there. Here he talks about it in his own words.

Afrojack

I was shooting Ultra for Rolling Stone in Miami this year, taking mostly portraits and live photographs. Afrojack is one of the tallest musicians I’ve met, so I knew that his portrait would be difficult to frame. As we were walking out of the artist’s rooms, which were on a yacht nonetheless, I saw a brand new, red Ferrari. I made a blithe comment about wanting to photograph him in the car — not knowing it belonged to him. His eyes instantly lit up as he reached for the keys and he ran over to it, popped the hood, and gave me a thumbs up. We got the winning photograph in one try.

Fitz and the Tantrums

As I was standing in the photo pit in front of the main stage at Coachella a couple of years ago, an older photographer approached me and warned me that the next performer “jumped like a madman.” I took note and positioned myself appropriately so that the front-of-stage monitor wouldn’t block the drummer’s head. Sure enough, one song into the set I was able to capture the exact photo I imagined.

The Gaslight Anthem

This photo was taken in Boston for Rolling Stone’s A Day In The Life series. The series basically follows different bands throughout a day, usually on tour or in the studio. We set up the shoot a month or so prior through management and their record label, however once the day came, the band knew nothing about it. They travelled all night from New York by bus and were clearly in no mood to have a photographer travel with them all day. As I was getting ready to head out to meet up with the band, their manager called to inform me that the shoot was cancelled. I quickly scrambled to call my editor at the magazine who advised me to politely disregard the cancellation and go shoot them at the Boston.com offices where they were performing an acoustic set followed by a Q&A. The band had no idea that I was coming, as they were under the impression that the shoot was cancelled. They finished their set and started the Q&A, which was led by a Boston.com writer. The first words from her being, “So I hear there’s a Rolling Stone photographer here to follow you guys around all day”. Immediately after the Q&A, the front man Brian came up to me to say hello and apologized for the mix up. The discomfort quickly turned to humor. This photo was taken during sound check in an otherwise empty House of Blues.

Grimes

She liked this shot so much that she decided to use it for her Twitter banner photo. If you’re reading this Claire, I’m still waiting for credit…

Icona Pop

Foam Magazine commissioned this photograph for their summer issue this year. I decided, since we were in Miami, to scope out the control room in the yacht with the band. The captain was pleasantly surprised and insisted Caroline wore his hat. We all loved the result.

Jack White

This photograph was taken at the best live performance I’ve seen at a festival. His onstage energy is undeniable. The rain was a bonus. Also, he plays barefoot.

Jump

Probably the best photograph I’ve ever taken or ever will take.

No Doubt

Preparation is a key part of what I do, so the ability to watch a sound check helps me immensely. Knowing that Gwen would enter from the back of the stadium is the only reason I was able to get this shot.

Rick Ross

Never in my life have I seen so many people on side-stage during a performance. It was like fighting through a crowd to get this shot!

Taylor Swift

Try finding catering in Madison Square Garden — only took me an hour and a half.

The Lumineers

The Lumineers played a private show at the iHeartRadio performance theater back in December. The stage setup was unbelievable with clear incandescent lights suspended like fireflies. Halfway into the set, Jeremiah smashed one directly in front of me with his guitar neck, sending shards of glass directly at my face. Lucky for me, I had a camera to block the shrapnel.

The Shins

In my opinion, James Mercer is one of the most talented songwriters of our time. I was fortunate enough to photograph them at Coachella in 2012.

Wayne Coyne

Wayne invited me to photograph the band onstage after we took this shot in a hot air balloon at Firefly Music Festival. However, there was one requirement. I had to wear a lion costume.